What is ALS?

Assistive Listening Systems (ALS) are technologies designed to improve speech clarity and comprehension for individuals with hearing loss by transmitting audio directly from the source to the listener, bypassing background noise and reverberation. These systems are essential in public venues like theaters, classrooms, and places of worship, where distance and ambient sound often make standard amplification insufficient. 

ALS function through three main components: a microphone to capture sound, a transmitter to send the signal via radio frequency, infrared, or induction loop, and a receiver worn by the listener. Listeners can connect receivers using headphones, earbuds, or neck loops that interface directly with hearing aids and cochlear implants equipped with telecoils. 

Common types of ALS include:

FM/DM Systems: Use radio waves for mobility, often used in classrooms. 

Infrared Systems: Use light beams for privacy and no signal interference between rooms.

Induction Loop Systems: Create a magnetic field for seamless connection with hearing aid telecoils. 

Auracast™ Broadcast Audio: A new Bluetooth Low-Energy standard allowing wireless connection to personal smartphones and hearing aids. 

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), many public assembly areas are required to provide these systems, ensuring that at least 25% of receivers are hearing aid compatible.

ALS at St. Rita

St. Rita has implemented an Auracast™ Broadcast Audio solution. Hearing aids and other devices can receive the broadcast of St. Rita's main sound system. Due to limited resources, we have not been able to comprehensively verify which hearing aids or other devices work with our system. Below is a table of known devices and additional information with regards to those devices.

If you have hearing aids, please visit the hearing aid compatibility and connection guide on Venucast's website HERE.